Elitist Book Reviews

Silver and her mate Andrew are the alphas of the Roanoke werewolf pack, the largest in North America. But they're more than just that, they've been sworn fealty by the alphas in all the other packs in North America, as well. There's a benefit to having two alphas--they can  divide and conquer, which comes in handy when there's an entire continent to manage.

When Andrew leaves for Alaska to intervene in a case for the human mother of an infant Were, Silver must manage everything else that comes up: the pregnant alpha of a sub-pack with a recalcitrant beta, a roamer from South America coming through her territory, and a step-daughter who doesn't know what to do with herself that doesn't involve causing trouble.

Her fragile mind handles Were issues fine, but when she deals with humans she risks looking insane--and that doesn't even include exposing the reality of Weres to the outside world. This makes her an obvious target of the vengeful European pack from Madrid whose balance of power was diminished in book two, TARNISHED (EBR review), as a result of her and Andrew.

The different thing about Held's book in the Urban Fantasy genre is her deep exploration of Were culture and behavior. I enjoy reading her take on it and the problems caused by the culture that have to be dealt with. It's something she handles with finesse across all three books. Silver is the star of the series, I find her fascinating as a broken Were who despite everything still has the dominance and confidence to be an alpha in her own right. She is insightful to others' problems and understands her own limitations.

But while I enjoyed SILVER (EBR review) and TARNISHED, REFLECTED felt flat for me.

It's pretty simple, really. Andrew spends 95% of the book off-stage (he's pretty cool and I wish we could see more of him). And while REFLECTED is told much from Silver's PoV, here Andrew's daughter Felicia becomes the central figure. It's been three years since the events in TARNISHED, so now Felicia is eighteen and must decide about the next stage of her life, whether she becomes a roamer, get a job, or go to college.

I don't dislike Felicia, but I also don't particularly enjoy her character. I'm coming to the realization that I haven't found many teenage girl characters I've truly liked (a hold-over from high school drama? dunno), and Felicia is more of the same wishy-washy, secretive behavior that makes this mom of a teenager go batty. I haven't been a teenage girl for...a while...and even when I was a teen I was more rational that most. So take that for what it's worth.

Even then, I think I have some grounds for being annoyed at Felicia's behavior with the roamer and the raw deal she gives Silver. The solution wasn't hard, she eventually finds it in the end after some colossally dumb behavior. Is the plot contrived? I think so. Did Felicia carry this story? She doesn't have Silver's charisma, that's for sure. These issues might have been glossed over by a YA audience, but the graphic sex scene at the start ruins that notion or else I might have let my teen read it. Perhaps the drama would have made more sense to her.

Recommended Age: 17+
Language: Minimal
Violence: Some fighting and blood
Sex: A detailed scene opens the novel; other references (more than in the previous novels)

Find this series here:

SILVER

TARNISHED

REFLECTED

In SILVER (EBR review), we were introduced to the werewolves Andrew and Silver. Now that they've recovered from their injuries, they're beginning to think about the future. Unfortunately, the future doesn't always go according to plan.

Coming up is the werewolf Convocation in the neutral territory of Arizona. Weres from other packs think Andrew should return to the East Coast and challenge the Roanoke alpha. It's something Andrew wouldn't have considered before meeting Silver, but the current alpha is weak and leadership needs to change. His biggest concern, however, is Silver, who may be dominant, but as a result from events in book one has lost her ability to shift. Should her condition change Andrew's decision?

As in the first book, SILVER, Rhiannon Held's story revolves around the culture of werewolves, their hierarchies, and behaviors. It's about werewolves and how they interact with each other and the world around them. Sometimes I didn't quite follow the logic of it, but that's more my opinion on how werewolf culture should work and not an inadequacy in Held's writing.

TARNISHED's story flows from events caused by the characters and the natural consequences of the choices they make. I like how the set-up was straightforward, but Held unfolds the action in an unpredictable way. The story moves forward at a steady pace and is never boring, the succinct prose easy to read.

Told from Silver and Andrew's PoV, Held adds a third PoV character, Susan, the human lover of the Seattle pack's alpha. Susan struggles to understand the alien culture of the man she loves as well as their young child. Silver is dominant, but having lost her ability to shift makes her question her ability to be alpha alongside her mate. And Andrew wants to do the right thing, but is still figuring out what that is. Susan's PoV is a nice addiction and Andrew is likable, but as in SILVER the real star of the show is Silver herself. She can still see and interact with Death, and while she is sometimes lost in her own little world, she has a keen ability to observe and understand the people around her. I also like the chemistry between Andrew and Silver.

So far it's a very readable series that feels different from other werewolf fiction out there. It would be a great series for older teens to start out their Urban Fantasy journey.

Recommended Age: 15+
Language: A few dozen instances
Violence: Some
Sex: Referenced, implied

Find this series here:

SILVER

TARNISHED

As the enforcer for the Roanoke werewolf packs, Andrew keeps the area safe from lone wolves invading their territory. But there's something wrong with the strange lone he's hunting at the opening of SILVER. She only runs in human form, she runs seemingly directionless, and she smells sick with silver. When he catches up with her, Andrew doesn't find what he's expecting: instead of a lone who needs expulsion from pack lands, he finds a woman who needs protection.

Suddenly Andrew finds himself on a mission to hunt the monster who hurt the woman who calls herself Silver. The monster killed her entire pack, and Andrew wants to keep that from happening again.

Despite being a debut novel, SILVER by Rhiannon Held, holds its own in the Urban Fantasy genre by twisting a usually standard plot into something that feels new. She starts the story at a sprint and maintains a great pace throughout, leaving enough time for us to get to know the people and the Were culture.

Andrew and Silver are the PoV characters. Andrew is your typical dominant werewolf with anger management issues and a dead wife (not his fault but he feels guilty). It's Silver who's interesting and Held tells her PoV with style. You see, she's been injected with silver, and it's made her a little crazy. She sees Death in wolf form and talks to him and he talks back; she can't find her 'wild self'; and is fleeing to escape a monster who's following her. She doesn't make sense to Andrew...at first.

The fun thing about SILVER is how Held explores Were pack hierarchy--well, in her own world, anyway. I've read enough werewolf books to see different takes on how it would work, but Held tries to show the nuances of dominance vs leadership. Sometimes I was confused at how she chose to show how pack structure works, but it's still a good study, nonetheless. There are some vague hints at the difference in the U.S. vs European were packs, as well as how packs operate in relation to each other and regarding new wolves. We don't see much of the magic of werewolves, if there is any (one of the things I like about Patricia Briggs' two werewolf series are her details of how the magic works).

There are a few blips in the plot and there are some contrivances, but Held carries you along so they aren't particularly distracting. And she doesn't disappoint, because by the end she brings together all the plot threads to a satisfying conclusion.

Recommended Age: 16+ for themes
Language: Maybe a dozen total instances
Violence: Not a lot, but it can get bloody; torture is referenced
Sex: Implied

Find this book here:

SILVER